The federal government sets the contours of Medicaid, but individual states implement the program in different ways—from open-handed and generous to tight-fisted and punitive. How does this disparity in benefits to Medicaid affect Americans’ experience of democratic citizenship?

In a Chats in the Stacks talk, Jamila Michener will discuss her new book Fragmented Democracy: Medicaid, Federalism, and Unequal Politics ( Cambridge University Press, 2018). An assistant professor of government, Michener examines how federalism intersects with the largest public health insurer in the United States. She also exposes the political and social consequences for impoverished and marginalized Americans most in need of vital resources from the federal government, clarifying the stakes of policy choices at the local, state, and national levels.

Fragmented Democracy was selected as a finalist for the 2019 PROSE Awards.

This book talk is sponsored by Olin Library. Light refreshments will be served.